Man oh man, this one sucks. It's tough to see Vanek finally start to show some dominance, only to have it overshadowed by Lalime's inability to stop a peewee shot, or not pass the puck to the other team. I hate to say it, because Lalime is one of my favorite guys on the team but he just looks so out of focus, ill prepared, and often times like his head isn't even in the game.

As much as I want to, I don't think I can really blame Lalime for a large part of his losses. I can't even blame the team that much either. I don't see how it benefits you as a team to have two goalies with two different styles of play. Now granted, you're going to get a large drop-off in talent when you go to your back-up, but doesn't it behoove you to have a guy that plays a similar style as your starter? That way the team doesn't have to change its tendencies or style of play.

Whatever, this topic is probably way overdone anyways, hence the title.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

The Sabres are going to have to win with Miller in goal, and just do the best they can with Lalime back there when he rarely plays.

They've had plenty of time to prepare and know that they're going to have to play better hockey when he's between the pipes.

The way I see it, it's up to them at this point. Lalime will lose them games, but only if they let him.

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Wheelhouse

Yeah, I mean in all honestly you have to score more than two goals to win and generally look less lifeless then they did tonight, but man, even an average game from Lalime and that's at least an OT game. An average game from Miller and it's probably a shutout.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

I still felt bad for the fans taunting him tonight though.

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"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hockey Night in Buffalo

Yeah, I'll never boo the guy, and he probably feels worse than anyone about letting in those first two goals tonight.

I want it to work, it's just not.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

I know...I always hear how great of a guy he is, and then the fans all cheered when he played the puck and I just felt sssssooooo bad. I was pretty pissed at that game though. Even with the weak goals the Wild got, I still fell we should have won. We had a lot of chances. Harding was great.

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"Ah...composite sticks...you can't beat 'em...unless you have a wooden one..."-Harry Neale

In Pegula We We Trust!

Every game I go to, he always does something for the fans. At the stars game, he was handing out pucks to kids standing by the glass. He probably did this for five straight minutes with 15 or so pucks. Great guy. I took a picture again, haha.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

They did?? I never seen the game but that actually pisses me off big time. When fans shit on the goalie then they're being dicks. Especially when Lalime is only our back up who makes 1 mil a year. Give him a break.

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I am, you know I am. I am Canadian.
#1 Hockey Nation.

My main issue with Patty is that I don't feel like he's played enough. We saw that when he gets going, he can be a monster.

Ruff sits him for so long, though, that he can't find a rhythm. It's not like this is anything new. We saw this with Thibault, and sometimes, I think we even saw it with Biron.

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Girgensons for captain. Team Keep Nick DesLauriers forever.

@TJLuckman550

Yeah, he slowed the puck down and all the fans gave a huge sarcastic cheer when he touched it.

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"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hockey Night in Buffalo

I think "monster" is a little bit of a stretch. I don't really know how I feel about the whole "Ruff doesn't know how to manage his goalies" theory... I mean, Ryan Miller is the type of goalie who is supposed to play the majority of games, when we have a goalie of his caliber, he's not going to split the time with his backup goalie like other teams do.

Currently Miller is 9th in the league in games played. It makes me wonder if the other teams who play their starting goalie that much have as many problems with their backup goalie as we do, due to lack of playing time.

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"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hockey Night in Buffalo

Maybe he just plain old fucking sucks and no other excuse?

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"Counting all the assholes in the room, I'm definitely not alone!" ~ Michael Poulsen, Volbeat, Still Standing.

I agree with everyone, Lalime just isn't focused.
Soft 1st goal and he looked like Kipprosuf in the Olympics on that second one, just gave it to the opposing player. He looks like he struggles handling the puck. Saw it most of the game. And he came out of the net and did some weird things with the puck. Oh well.

On a brighter note, I was most pleased by the teams offensive play. Even if only 2 goals went in, the Sabres were buzzing and creating chances like crazy. Harding had some great saves for Minny and some real lucky ones. I watched around a half a dozen shots or so just bouncing all over him as he layed in his crease. Can't complain one bit on how the boys tried to put it home.

Vanek was a beast. He could have had 2 hat tricks easily if he buries those chances, but it was just great to see him play like that.

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Lord Stanley's Cup is what its all about.
Mr. Pegula, your destiny awaits you sir.

Backup goaltender is one of the most difficult positions in sports. You're asked to play like a starter once every 10-12 days. Some goalies just can't perform under those conditions. I think Lalime fits that profile.

His game is obviously better when he plays more frequently, but you can't play him more frequently when you have Ryan Miller sitting in front of him.

Tough situation to be in. Many times this year the team in front of him hasn't shown up, last night they did and he let them down.

lol...this.....

he'll be out of the league after this year

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"It is more about them than it is about the team...Cannot play with them, cannot win with them, cannot coach with them. Can't do it. I want winners. I want people that want to win." - Mike Singletary

Tyler Myers - Future captain of the Buffalo Sabres, and future Norris Trophy Winner

Manning the machine gun on the Tyler Myers Bandwagon - just in case any teams have an idea of prying him away from us (3 GM's shot already)

Connolly/Roy - 2 goals in the last 47 playoff games

Gosh I feel bad for lalime, I mean...he's got to play what, 15 games a year? And he only gets compensated a measly ONE MILLION DOLLARS for these 15 games, and on top of THAT people BOO him when he SUCKS.

Poor Patty, life isnt fair.

I don't think anyone feels bad because of where he is in his life...

Just have to kind of feel for the guy when he has 3 hours a month to play a perfect game of hockey and he fucks it up. He's an older, past-his-prime, backup goaltender that barely gets any playing time... then has an arena filled with people booing him. Put his contract aside, that kinda sucks lol. I'd be fine with it if he were some asshole and a proven locker room cancer, but from everything I hear, he seems like a good guy. You want better for and from him.

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Being at the game last night, I can say without any prior bias that Lalime is the reason they lost. 45 good quality shots, great transition rushes, and an active defense sweeping away shots should really help a team win, but when your goalie can't stop an unscreened shot he's got full view of or plays the puck right onto an opposing skater's stick, it is 100% his fault.

Oh, and I booed the shit out of Lalime and cheered for every save. Fucker deserved it.

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mechaphil

Phil and I are in agreement on this one. I totally thought that LaLame let in 2 softies in the early goings of that game. Granted the team in front of him wasn't great in the first 10 mins of the game, the softie on the PP (to the degenerative hip side mind you), and the turn over behind the net were both saves that 80% of the goalies in the league would have made, or avoided. No doubt in my mind, if we had played Miller, or even Enroth last night we would have won. Patty has maybe 1 more start in him as a Sabre, and after that, we're gonna probably look elsewhere.

It's a shame too, because he's a great person, and one of those people we should all strive to be; but Patrick Lalime the goalie is something I no longer want a part of.

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"She's like plan C after an 18 pack"

Squanto 7/27/2010

Well I just did some researching...and the short answer is, "No, not really..."

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"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hockey Night in Buffalo